In the
summer of 2008, a Global Peace
Festival will take place on the
National Mall, in Washington,
DC. This event, organized
by many groups including the
Points of Light and Hands On
Network, will bring people
together to celebrate the human
family, promote peace for all
people as members of one global
family under God, encourage
interfaith cooperation, and to
call citizens to service.
Not a
Single Day, but Lasting Outcomes
The
Festival is a kick-off to a
sustained campaign. This
campaign is supported by many
diverse cultures and faiths. It
is about long-term change in our
lives. It is about compassion to
all those around us.
A key
theme and challenge to those
mobilized by the Festival
campaign is a call to “A Million
Acts of Service and Kindness.”
A Million
Acts of Service or Kindness! – A
great goal that can change us
all – yet one we all can have a
share in.
You are invited to be a
part of this campaign.
You are invited to join
forces to build a movement of
kindness and service across the
nation, across the world that
seeks to simply live for the
sake of others, and to make a
difference. It’s that simple.
All we are
asking you to do is make a
difference and record that
difference.
What is an
Act of Service or Kindness?
An Act of
Service is:
Taking
part in organized acts of
service to others, on your own,
or in a group. It could be
helping build a Habitat House,
giving food to a food bank,
organizing a blood drive in your
mosque, church, place of worship
or taking lunch to an elderly
shut-in – or as simple as
picking up trash near your
home.
An Act of
Kindness is:
Taking
action that may be less
organized, but just as – or more
– meaningful. Had a fight with
someone? Take the first step to
reconcile. Or call someone you
have been meaning to tell, to
say that you love them, or are
grateful to them, but keep on
putting it off. Or even doing
that home chore you’ve been
avoiding, that would help
someone else, and doing it
gratefully.
As you can
see, this list is limited only
by your creativity.
A Million
Acts of Service and Kindness,
costs nothing: you pay nothing.
It about living out those values
showcased at the Global Peace
Festival. It is simply about the
joy of living for the sake of
others.
Who can do
it?
You can!
This
campaign is challenging both
individuals and organizations to
take part.
Organizations
Any
organization can take part. As a
guide you might like to consider
the number of people in the
organization and use that as a
rough guide to the number of
acts. Because everyone can do at
least one Act of Service or
Kindness.
You might
think that Acts of Service might
be easier for organizations, but
Kindness works too! For
example, the organizer could
persuade her whole office, that
today, everyone is asked to do
one extra act of kindness (or
many more!) It’s not a difficult
ask.
Individuals
Really,
it’s very similar to
organizations. As the Global
Peace Festival reminds us, our
world is in need of
reconciliations, both service
and kindness. We all need to
contribute to reconciliation and
cooperation among the human
family.
